JOIN USThis ‘Deepavali’, make sure you buy fire crackers from a licensed dealer. The BBMP, Bangalore City Police and the Fire and Emergency Services have issued temporary licences to more than 300 shops to sell fire crackers till October 24 at designated open grounds in the City.
The three government bodies have come together to ensure that these shops are spaced out in open areas and not sold anywhere in the heart of the City. They have in fact become tighter in the issuance of licences.
A senior officer with the Bangalore City Police who didn’t want to be named says, “These temporary licences are issued on the basis of a lottery system. An application form needs to be submitted to the Police Commissioner’s, mentioning the ground where you want to set up a stall. After the initial procedure, the application forms are then collected after which they are allotted, by drawing lots, to particular grounds in the city,” he says.
The senior officer informs that they have received a lot of application forms this year. “We could not accommodate all of them. That’s where the lot system helps. The grounds where these stalls are set up are decided by the BBMP. These grounds are then inspected by the fire department,” he adds.
In case of any violation, action will be taken as per the Karnataka Police Act.The fire and emergency services department has forwarded a list of safety measures to be followed by the cracker shops. The Fire Department has permitted shops that measure ten by ten feet and made of material that are inflammable and safe. “The shop must be set up in an open ground and there must be entrances from both the back and front. Air must be allowed to pass in an unrestricted manner,” explains PK Sudheer, IGP, Fire Force.
He further states that as per the guidelines issued, there must be five gas cylinders, two sand bags, fire extinguishers, two buckets of water and 400 litres of water stored in a drum.
“One is not allowed to cook and light a fire anywhere near the shops. ‘No smoking’ boards must be hung at the entrance of the shops.
There are cracker shops set up in RT Nagar, Chamarajnagar, Sarjapur Road, Electronic City, Bommanahalli, and Hebbal. The shopkeepers claim that they have followed most of the guidelines issued by the authorities.
Govinda, who has set up a cracker stall in Chamarajnagar says, “People are allowed in to my shop only after they have been checked. This year we are not selling the smaller fire crackers that light up easily,” he states.
Raja Rao, who is a resident of Hebbal, adds, “Earlier, there were a few cracker shops in the heart of the City but this year, we don’t find too many shops. We have to drive to an open ground to buy crackers. This ensures more safety.”